Guardian
by WhiteIce
Summary: When a threat on her life appears, Claudia is forced to leave the Warehouse and go to the town of Haven, where she will be safe if she isn't killed by the supernatural occurrences from Haven and the group of rogue Regents from the Warehouse.


**For the people who are reading this solely because they like Warehouse 13 or because they just like Haven, I will PM you with a recap of the other show so you can understand what's going on if you would like me to. Just ask and I'll send you the recap.**

**I don't own Haven or Warehouse 13.**

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* * *

****Chapter 1: Visitor at a Funeral**

Audrey Parker could count on one hand the number of times she had been to a funeral. And she was glad for that because she had never really been comfortable at them.

Even in her job, where she saw death frequently, she had a hard time seeing the consequences of it: weeping relatives, sobbing friends, heartbroken lovers... There was so much pain palpable in the air, and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.

With Garland Wurnos' funeral, however, the tears were nonexistent. Vince and Dave were both trying to keep relatively calm faces, although they were struggling, Audrey could tell. Nathan was wearing the face of - to a causal observer - an emotional stoic that he always wore, but Audrey could almost feel the pain radiating out from him so much that it hurt. She reached out and gently pressed one finger to the back of his hand. He looked at her for a minute, but then slowly turned his face back to the remains of his father.

"Should we say a few words?" Dave asked, his face confused - there wasn't exactly a rulebook for how to give your dead friends that exploded a funeral - especially when he was in small chunks of rock. He looked around at the small group of people - which consisted of his brother, Audrey and Nathan. "Nathan?" He looked to Nathan, who shook his head. To anyone else, his expression might not have changed, but Audrey knew he was on the breaking point.

"I don't think there's much to say, Dave." She said gently, trying to spare Nathan. "I think he," she gestured to the pile of rocks in the wheelbarrow "already knows."

"You're right." Vince said, stepping forward. He grabbed the wheelbarrow and tugged it forward, looked around the group once as if looking for someone to stop him, and then tipped it over the cliff into the water below.

* * *

Nathan closed his eyes as his father's remains were poured out to sea. They had agreed it was the best way - to protect his father's reputation, to protect Haven from the Rev. and whatever poison he could have conjured up about it... He probably would have used it as an excuse not to trust Nathan as the new Chief.

Chief... The word made Nathan's stomach flip. Haven needed him, he knew. He needed to fill his father's position, to hold Haven together now. But how could he do all that?

Next to him, Audrey shifted her balance slightly, and he could feel the finger resting on his hand shift, too. He looked down at her and she gave him a steady, calm look back.

Nathan took a deep breath. Audrey would hold him together. As long as he had her, this confident, strong woman that was now his unofficial second in command, he could survive whatever Haven threw at him. As long as Audrey held him together, he could hold Haven together. And he wouldn't let anything harm her - not his self-doubt, not the Troubles, not even the other Audrey (as he had christened her in his mind), who was on the way back to her FBI base with a cock and bull story about how her identity was being used for an undercover assignment. She might have acted like Audrey but she definitely didn't have the intelligence of Audrey.

He was distracted from his thoughts when a limo pulled up to the small group of mourners. A large man got out and walked over to Vince and Dave. Nathan and Audrey slowly moved to get their guns out of her waistbands.

"I don't mean them any harm." The man said. "They know why I'm here."

"Yes." Dave said, his voice nervous, but steady. "We do."

"What the hell is going on?" Nathan asked, his temper rising. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone about this."

"We didn't." Dave said. "But don't worry. He won't tell." He said, gesturing to the tall man and the wheelbarrow. Together, Dave and Vince walked to the limo with the man.

"Guys? Guys!" Audrey said, exasperation. She and Nathan jogged over to them, but by the time they got there, the limo had taken off and they were left in its exhaust.

"Damn it." Nathan muttered, and kicked a rock.

Far away, in the bottom of Haven's watery depths, the rubbled remains of Garland Wurnos trembled...

* * *

Dave and Vince were driven out of Haven's limits for a good two hours before they were escorted out of the limo and into a small house - where a woman they hadn't seen for many, many years sat at a table waiting for them. The only thing on the table was a plan manilla folder.

"Irene." Vince said, nodding his head in recognition, as she did likewise. Dave was too nervous - he simply sat down in one of the two chairs opposite hers.

"Dave. Vince." She greeted them, her face expressionless, but with fire in her eyes. In that minute, Vince was eerily reminded of Nathan.

"What can we do for you, Irene?" Vince asked, feeling the anxiety rolling off his brother. Dave didn't want to be doing anything for Irene, Vince knew. He felt they had already had enough close scraps with death lately, what with the Troubles coming back to town...

"A situation has arisen." Irene said cooly, but her voice held a great deal of tension. "I need to transfer one of my people to your town."

"Of course." Vince said as Dave tried to maintain his composure. But Vince knew he couldn't deny Irene - when she was asking for help, it meant serious trouble was on the way. If they didn't help her, it could lead to disaster.

Irene nodded to show her gratefulness and opened the folder. She pulled the only thing in it out - a picture of a young girl. She was in her late teens, Vince estimated, and she had a happy, carefree smile on her face that Vince was sure wouldn't be there for much longer if she was getting moved to Haven.

"So young." Dave said, regret in his voice.

"This is Claudia Donovan. She is my successor." Irene said, making both Dave and Vince look up from the picture in shock. It took them several minutes to regain their use of speech.

"She's the next Caretaker?" Vince asked, overwhelmed.

"She needs to be protected." Irene said, looking down at the picture.

"From what?" Dave asked.

"From very, very powerful enemies. I need to hide her in a place no one would expect. A place where any...side effects from her job and ability as the next Caretaker would be covered up. Do you believe Haven is the right place to do that?"

"We can hide her." Vince said, determined.

"Good. I...heard that Garland died. I am sorry. Haven has suffered a great loss." Irene said, a soft, mournful tone coming into her voice.

"Thank you." Vince answered.

"But the new Chief - his son. Is he up for the job? Can he be trusted?" Irene asked, the mournful tone gone and the tenseness back.

"He's inexperienced, he has no idea of what's coming, but he's reliable. He's strong. He'll adapt." Vince said confidently.

"And he's got a good partner, too. Audrey Parker." Dave said. "You would know her as Lucy Ripley."

Irene's eyes widened. "Lucy's back?"

"At last." Dave said, nodding.

"Then Claudia absolutely should go. If Lucy is back..." Irene's voice trailed off, her voice filled with astonishment. Then an idea occurred to her. "Is Nathan...?" She asked.

"We don't know yet. We've been watching the two of them closely, but don't have enough proof yet to make a definite conclusion."

Irene nodded, still slightly amazed. "Well, I suppose you'll know soon."

"It has to come out sooner or later." Vince agreed.

Irene nodded a final time, and then straightened up. "Now, about the arrangements for Ms. Donovan..."


End file.
